NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - As temperatures get ready to drop many people will stay inside, but heating/AC professionals say homeowners should be prepared.

Roy Teed, owner of TNT Heating and Cooling in North Myrtle Beach says the cold temperatures has his business busy answering service calls.

"[We've seen] bad defrost boards or bad defrost sensors causing the heat pumps to freeze up," Teed said. "We've run across units that are low on Freon; if they are not properly charged you are not going get the proper heat out of them."

Teed said most homes in the Strand use heat pumps. He adds that most of the older model pumps are not equipped to handle single digit temps. He recommends regular maintenance for both newer and older model heat pumps.

"Just like an automobile, it's running to heat and cool your house all year long, so you are putting a lot of usage on it every single year," explained Teed.

During the winter months, Teed says he notices homeowners make common mistakes when it comes to heating their homes.

Teed said, "You should always leave the thermostat set at one temperature. The desired temperatures is between 68 and 70 degrees. Of course, our older folks here that are on blood thinners or on different medications usually have to keep it a little bit warmer in their house in order to stay comfortable, so they'll normally bring it up to about 72 to 74 degrees to fill that warmth."

When the temperature drops and you happen to experience a problem with your unit, don't try to fix it yourself; it could end up costing you more money.

"We find that homeowners when they try to work on things themselves, they usually end up causing more problems with the system than having somebody come out and do it," stated Teed.

Call the professional to diagnose the problem. Teed said it could really save you money in the end. However, if you don't feel your unit is warming your home, call the professional, but do not completely shut off your heat pump.

Most of the times on a heat pump you’ve got the emergency heat mode, as long as the heat strips are working, you would switch to the emergency mode.

"It's still going to give you some so it will not get severely cold in the house," explained Teed.

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